Page 9 of Like the Season
His father’s tone eased back a little, now sounding confused. “Your momma said you lived close to Orlando?”
“I’mnot. I’m nowhere close to Orlando. I mean, close as in I’m closer to Orlando than I am Miami, or Tallahassee, yeah. But if you’re thinking you’re going to save time and money by staying with me, you’re not.”
“Then you can drive over and have dinner with us. We’re getting in Friday afternoon.”
It wouldn’t be as easy to disengage as he thought. “I have to work Friday. I leave straight from there for the airport. I can’t take a whole day off like that yet. I don’t have vacation time, and I need to save up my sick leave.”
The dark undercurrents returned to his father’s tone. “Your momma wanted you to meet the daughter of one of Kelly’s friends. They went through a lot of trouble to arrange that. What am I supposed to tell her?”
“I’ll gladly tell her, Dad. Besides, Mom needs to stop trying to play matchmaker for me. I’m too busy for that right now with work, and I didn’t ask her to do it.”
“Why you suddenly have all this work to do? Never had that when you were up here.”
“Because Sarasota County is a lot bigger. I sometimes have to attend evening meetings, especially if I have to make a presentation to the BCC, and I—”
“The what?”
“The Board of County Commissioners. And—”
“You never had to do that here.”
This wasn’t going to end well. Caleb could see that already. “Dad, I do alotmore now than I did before. That’s why I make more money now than I did, and—”
“You so rich you can’t make time for your family, then?”
“What do you want from me, Dad?” Caleb didn’t realize he’d yelled it until his father went quiet on the other end for a long moment.
“Don’t youdaretake that tone with me,boy.”
“Then how aboutlisteningto me for a change?”
“I knew it was a mistake letting you go to college. Should’ve made you get a job with me at the mine like I wanted to, but no, I let you and your Momma talk me into letting you go to school. You should be married by now and—”
Something inside Caleb snapped. “I’m sorry I’m such a disappointment to you, Dad. Sorry I actually went out and became independent and left home and didn’t have to get married to do it like the girls did.”
Then Caleb did the unthinkable—he hung up on him.
Caleb dropped the phone onto the couch next to him, staring at it in horror as if a phantom hand had ripped it from his grasp.
Oh…shit.
You didnothang up on Jeremiah Prevost.
At least,henever had.
One of the great things about leaving home for college had been dorm life. Sharing a room had meant a freedom he’d never known existed before. He’d still felt too terrified to try to date guys, or even attend any events that might be construed as him supporting the LGBTQ community, because he never knew who he might run into and what gossip might trickle back to his family.
He wasn’t sure if he was more terrified about his father maybe calling back…or not.
As the minutes ticked by and the phone remained dark and silent, Caleb’s tension only ratcheted higher, tighter.
He jumped when the phone rang ten minutes later.
His mom.
Knowing putting this off would only make things infinitely worse, and trying to channel a little of Boyd’s usual calm, he answered.
“Yeah.”
